Toying Around

“So are you enjoying your time here?” Twilight asked her new pony friend. The pair were sitting on the bed alone, their bodies forming a small crater in the bed sheets.

“It’s a nice place. Cosy.” Fluttershy replied quietly. She was reclining in the comfortable fabric, still a bit shy but relaxed too.

“I suppose it is. At least it’s safe. Not like outside...” Twilight grumbled.

Fluttershy flinched at the mention of that dangerous world. “That was terrifying.” She squeaked.

“I’ll be honest: I hope we never go back out there again.” The unicorn gave the pegasus a reassuring smile. “But you’re here now. That’s what matters.”

“Yes.” Fluttershy said, relaxing once again.

“So what do you think of the others?”

“Oh, they’re nice.” She answered simply, giving Twilight a small smile.

“I guess Arbiter and Greg are.” The purple pony agreed. “But Chief?” She raised an eyebrow, baffled by Fluttershy’s perhaps misguided view Chief’s character.

“Well he has his moments.” She stated somewhat firmly, even for her.

Twilight looked down, staring at the many folds and creases the pair had made by being here. She recalled that time in the store in which Chief’s fool hardiness which could be mistaken for bravery. It could have been bravery though...with Chief, it was hard to tell whether his actions were part of an ego trip or he genuinely was concerned for Twilight’s safety.

“He does.” Twilight responded. “Sometimes.”

“Everyone can be nice.” The shy mare stated.

Granted, what Fluttershy said could be true but Twilight found her to be a little too trusting. Maybe a little naive as well.

Note to self: Make sure Fluttershy never accesses the internet.

But everyone has their faults and Fluttershy more than made up for hers with her extreme kindness. In Twilight’s view, she was the nicest one in the apartment currently. Greg came in a close second though.

“I’m glad you're here Fluttershy.” She beamed at her friend. Before the pegasus could respond, she was engulfed in a hug by Twilight. She squeaked once again but soon returned the embrace. For Twilight, it was nice to have someone in the apartment who didn’t have just two legs. Or eight.

After a while, they broke off from each other both wearing happy faces.

“So...does Greg’s appearance scare you at all?” Twilight queried, changing the subject.

“No! Not at all! He’s lovely.” Fluttershy said quickly, perishing the thought from her head.

“Not even one bit?” Twilight raised an eyebrow.

Fluttershy shook her head. “I love all animals.”

“He’s more than a beast though.” Twilight said.

Fluttershy widened her eyes and put her forehooves over her mouth. “Oh no no! I didn’t mean it like that...oh no...”

“I think I know what you mean Fluttershy.”

“You do?” Fluttershy moved her hooves away from her face.

Twilight nodded. “Yep. It’s obvious you see him as a good friend.”

Meanwhile, away from the bedroom, Arbiter saw sat on a window sill staring at the seemingly huge city sprawled out below and in front of him. He knew that Chief would be playing the Xbox as usual and he assumed that Fluttershy and Twilight were talking yet Greg’s location was harder to guess.

Not that it mattered for soon Greg swung from one of his web strands and landed next to Arbiter, breaking the toy’s train of thought. He flinched but managed to stop himself from shouting at the spider.

“Hey Greg.”

Greg began to do the usual: scribbling furiously on a post-it note.

Hi :) how are u?

“Could be worse. I was just thinking.” He looked back to the window but glanced at Greg’s words when he wrote them.

Mind if i know what?

“The ponies.”

What about them?

“A lot of things. Why they’re here for one thing. But that’s an unanswerable question which I ask myself every day.”

: /

“What?” Arbiter turned to look at Greg.

Stop questioning your existence

Arbiter was silent for a few seconds. “Maybe.” He continued to look at the city once more.

What else then?

“Doesn’t matter now.”

...okay then

“Sorry, I know that makes me a hypocritical bastard. Anyway, what do you think about them?”

Theyre nice :3

“Agreed. But being ponies I think it’s simply in their nature. Similiar to how it’s Chief’s nature to act like an idiot.”

i like how Fluttershy isnt afraid of me though :D

“I noticed that too. She hasn’t flinched from you one bit. Odd considering her shyness.” Arbiter’s gaze followed a bird in the distance, soaring freely through the air.

can u keep a secret?

“Sure.” He gave Greg his full attention.

<.< k here goes: i think i ‘like like’ her

It took Arbiter a little while to fully understand what Greg meant but he got there. “I don’t think not being scared of your looks is grounds for a stable relationship.” He froze, realizing the harshness of his words. “Didn’t mean to shoot you down like that man, sorry. What I meant is that you can’t rush into these things.”

Perhaps... : /

“Be patient and see what happens. It’ll be worth it.”

Alright then

“Good luck.” Arbiter knew Greg would need it. He still thought of Claire now and then. He wanted to talk to her but just couldn’t find the strength.

So how about u and Twilight eh? Greg nudged Arbiter in the leg with his own.

“What? Oh, no! Don’t be deluded like Chief is.” He retaliated.

Well it could happen if u wanted it to

“I don’t want it to happen. We’re just friends. Got it?”

Greg was still for a couple of seconds. Okay then He knew fully well why Arbiter was so sudden to dismiss the idea yet he knew it was for the best that he should leave the subject.

Just be happy with your life

“Yeah, I try. Should be easier with the ponies to distract Chief. Lessens the burden of idiocy from him on me. Thanks for caring though.”

No problem mate ;)

“So you know: you’re my best friend.” He then shook his head in surprise. “That was incredibly...fluffy. The ponies must be affecting me. Fuck. I need a drink.”

Haha alright then

Arbiter carefully climbed down from the window sill and onto the floor. There was a bit of a drop of course but he was fine. Greg watched him go...until he got distracted by the fly that was banging on the glass, trying to escape.

Making his way across the vast apartment floor, he climbed up the kitchen counters and opened the alcohol cupboard. Not being picky today, he grabbed the nearest beverage and sat down with the bottle. He couldn’t be bothered to get a glass, so he just drank from the bottle. Despite this, he didn’t plan on having it all at once.

It took almost all of his strength to actually life to bottom to his many lips, but he managed to drink the liquid. “Better.”

His solitude was interrupted by the arrival of the ponies (he didn’t plan on drinking alone anyway), Twilight had to climb up but Fluttershy just flew up gracefully. “Hey you two.”

“Hello Arbiter.” Twilight greeted. Fluttershy just waved, giving the bipedal toy a smile. Twilight grimaced when she saw the bottle. “Is that alcohol?”

“Yeah. What about it?” He sat on his bottom, stretching his plastic legs which creaked in protest.

“A bit early to be drinking, isn’t it?”

“I don’t plan on having too much, don’t worry.”

“Um, what’s alcohol?” Fluttershy asked innocently. She was still learning about the many wonders (and horrors) of life in the apartment.

Arbiter and Twilight exchanged looks. “Um, well...” The unicorn began.

“It’s a drink that you don’t need. That’s all you need to know.” Arbiter finished.

“I don’t mean to be rude Arbiter but um, then why are you drinking it?” Fluttershy landed on the counter beside Twilight.

“You don’t need it. But I do.”

“Uh, okay then.” Fluttershy said.

“Moving on...” Twilight interjected. “Where’s Chief?”

Arbiter looked at Twilight blankly. “Where do you think?”

The purple mare blinked. “Yeah, that was a silly question...I’m still shocked that all he plays is Halo: Reach.”

“Don’t worry. By November he will have moved onto Halo 4.” Arbiter knew for a fact that Chief has already pre-ordered the limited edition of the game, which came with exclusive bonuses. He paid for it with Jon’s card of course.

“Oh, great.” Twilight muttered sarcastically.

“What games do you play Arbiter?” Fluttershy asked.

“Far more than Chief plays. My favorite has to Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo 64.”

“Funny, Chief has been hogging the Xbox so much I haven’t actually seen you play it yet.” Twilight said, somewhat annoyed by that fact. Watching human soldiers in big armor shoot each other got boring after a while.

“I must show you it one day. I think you’ll love it.” Considering it was his favorite, Arbiter was understandably passionate about it. So if he had the chance to show the ponies the amazing quality of the game, he would take it.

Fluttershy looked towards the TV where Chief would be. “Um, if you two don’t mind I’ll check on Chief; he might be lonely.” Waving to the other two, she soon set off and flew away.

“I doubt he is. With his massive ego, he’s never alone.”

“You got that right. Hopefully he’ll be nice to Fluttershy at least...” Biting her lip, Twilight looked at the bottle again. “And what do you mean you need it?”

Arbiter stared at the bottle’s label. “Before you came, a lot of shit happened. I’m still getting over it.” Indeed, many turbulent things had happened. Too many things that brought up questions that were had to take in.

“Oh...I’m sorry to hear that.” She sat down next to him. “But I don’t think you should rely on the drink to make things better.”

“It certainly helps. Besides, you haven’t tried it.”

“I don’t plan to.”

“It’s not an evil drink, Jesus. If you’re responsible, it allows you to loosen up and have a good time.”

“What did I just say Arbiter?” Twilight said rather sternly.

“I know what you said. I was just defending the drink. I’m done with it now anyway.” He pushed the bottle away from him.

“Okay. You do know that you can talk to me about it, right?”

“Yes but since you weren’t there, you wouldn’t understand.”

“Doesn’t stop me from trying to help you.” She gave him a small smile.

“Well, I can thank you for trying.” He stood up, not bothering to put the bottle back. “I think I’ll play some Halo now.”

“With Chief?” Twilight asked, also getting up onto her hooves.

“You think he’d actually stop playing just because I wanted to?”

“Point taken.” She smirked.

The two clambered down from the counter carefully and made their way to the Xbox. As expected, Chief was sat on the leather chair with the Xbox controller on his lap and a surrounding him. Upon climbing up, the two could also Fluttershy sitting next to Chief, her eyes avoiding the bloodshed on screen.

“Move over Chief, I’m joining.” He slumped down next to Chief and grabbed a controller nearby, making his presence known. Twilight simply sat next to Fluttershy.

“w8 until ive finished this game dumbass” Chief replied, focus on the game. He was losing. The match he was in was situated on the Sword Base map. Arbiter complied, patiently waiting. By the look of things, the game would be over very quickly.

“fucks sake” Chief cried as his avatar got stuck by a plasma grenade, instantly killing him. Chief’s character was covered in completely green armor and his helmet had a thin, yellow visor that was faded. Other than that, his armor was surprisingly simple.

“i need a beer” He looked at Fluttershy. “hey fluttershi get me a can of beer”

“Oh, um, okay if that’s what you want.” Fluttershy flew away, all too ready to comply with Chief’s order. Both Twilight and Chief peered at her as she flew away but their thoughts were completely different.

The TV’s speakers announced the end of the match and Arbiter could now join in the game. His avatar was very different from Chief’s. Instead of using a human model, he used a Sangheili one. He wore the ‘Spec-Ops’ armor, it’s most distinctive feature being its sharply pointed helment that completely covered the alien’s face. Two glowing blue lines represented where the figure could see out of and the helmet ended in a tip, like a sharp snout. The armor was mostly white but it had red markings here and there.

Fluttershy came back, wheezing and becoming quickly exhausted from having to life such a huge can and fly at the same time. She set it down on the chair and collapsed, beginning to recuperate. Twilight blinked, impressed with such a feat of strength.

Chief didn’t care for that though, merely grabbed the can and opening it. Despite not exactly knowing what beer was, Fluttershy had got the right beverage for Chief. He began to drink it heartily before the next match started.

“thats better ill play ossum now”

“I just had some alcohol so I think my skills will ‘improve’ as well.” Arbiter raised his hands and bent his fingers on the word ‘improve’.

“Fluttershy, I think Chief should have gotten that by himself.” She frowned slightly at the toy in question.

“No no...it’s fine...glad to help...” Fluttershy sputtered between heavy breaths.

Arbiter and Chief soon found themselves in a match on the map Boardwalk. The layout was quite simple: It was a series of walkways with two buildings, one at the top and another at the bottom. There was also a lower, underground area. The flooring was a dark grey and the walls were a shiny white, most having green plants and trees growing on top of them. The map was also on a slight incline.

Chief and Arbiter next to each other and both immediately ran in separate directions, prepared to wipe out any opposition that they ran into. Chief was less serious in his way of movement; he repeatedly bounced in the air. Arbiter was more focused, sprinting into cover.

Using one his favorite weapons, the Magnum pistol, Arbiter managed to catch an opponent off guard; an orange SPARTAN. He repeatedly fired his gun at the opponent, taking him down in seconds with a clean headshot. His enemy didn’t even get a hit on Arbiter.

Chief on the other hand was less skilled with his few kills. Arbiter was clearly the superior, although he trained Chief and helped him improve. And it did show.

Running into the building at the bottom of the map, Chief headed up the short amount of stairs and spotted an opponent firing a rifle from one of the balconies. The red SPARTAN was either scoped in or unobservant, as Chief could sneak behind him undetected. Chief shoved the enemy around and followed by impaling his combat knife into the opponent’s skull. An ruthless assassination.

Fluttershy covered her eyes, flinching at the death cry of the enemy. Twilight was less disgusted; she knew it was only pixels after all.

Chief celebrated his kill by teabagging his opponent repeatedly while hitting the corpse with his assault rifle. “lolololololololololol”

The owner of the dead body respawned and reunited with Chief in the building. He was going to attack but stood still after seeing Chief’s movement.

“Hey cut that out! That’s not cool!” The player’s voice sounded quite squeaky, making it apparent the person was a young teenager with possible abrupt voice changes.

“i was planning 2” Chief stopped teabagging and looked at the other player. “ur mom was much moar fun lol”

“My mom is a clean woman and would not participate in such disgusting acts!” The player protested.

“yea she was cleen until i did her oh man my juice was all 0ver her rofl”

Twilight made a face of pure disgust. The other three were easily able to hear Chief speak into the headset’s microphone.

“You’re disgusting!” The opponent exclaimed, his voice going deep for just a moment. The embarrassing voice crack only made him an easier target to bully.

“and ur a fag. and wats wr0ng with ur voice lol? munching on 2 many cocks?”

“Eugh, I can’t bear to listen to such awful words for much longer. I’m going to find Greg, see you guys later.” Twilight sighed and left.

“Um, I’ll come with you Twilight.” Fluttershy eagerly followed her friend away from the chair.

“See you two later then.” Arbiter said, scoring yet another kill in the game. This time though his shields actually took some bullets, so he had to hide behind a wall until they recharged. Despite the drink, he was doing rather well in this match. Every other player seemed to be terrible.

The squeaky voiced teen meanwhile was stuttering, failing to come up with a creative response to Chief. “Well...at least I don’t sound like Stephen Hawking!”

“harsh. that dude has problims y wud u say that? fag”

“B-But you were just as insulting to me! If not more so!” The teenager sputtered. “You’re an asshole!”

“bitch u just jealous of my super spartan swag”

Another player, this time a Sangheili, entered through a doorway nearby the pair. Hearing the commotion, he had decided to investigate. He approached the pair and gave them both a quick glance.

“Do we have a problem here, gentlemen?”

A/N: Check out my comment just below. I got a question that needs answering.